Projectile



F. Dl SPRAGUEND P. W, ALLISON.

' PROJECTILE.

APPLwATloN man JULY 24,191.7.

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j Application led July 24, 1917. jSerialll'o. 182,537.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK DnsMoND SPRAGUE and PHILIP `VVHALLEY ALLIsoN, citizens of the United States of America, and residents, respectively, of the city of New York, county of Queens, and State of New York, and of the city of New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Projectiles, of which the following is a specification.

vThis invention relates to explosive projectiles, the object in view being to provide such a construction thereof that upon impact with the ground or other obstacle which in itself may not lbe sufficient to arrest the motion of the projectile as a whole, the part of the projectile carrying the destructive charge will by reason of a separating charge contained within the projectile be retarded in its movement, or even thrown rearwardly, so that the explosion takes place at or near the impact surface. If thrown rearwardly on impact with the ground the destructive explosion will have taken place above the ground level. Inasmuch as the'operation of the projectile broadly considered is not due in any way to the manner of propelling the projectile, the invention is independent 0f means employed therefor and is therefore equally applicable to a shell fired from a gun by the employment of any desired propulsive force or to a bomb proj ected from an aeroplane by gravity, or otherwise.

This invention consists of a projectile, comprising a plurality yof separable parts, preferably one of which carries an initiating explosive r charge, and another a destructive explosive charge with a suitable fuse associated with the initiating charge so thatupon the impact of the projectilev with vthe ground or. other obstacle the initiating charge will be exploded thereby causing a separation of the projectile parts, and a retarding or a retrograde motion of the portion of the projectile carrying the destructive charge, with means such that when the last named portion of the projectile has, due to its retardation or retrograde motion, been separated from the other portion of the projectile a predetermined distance it will explode the destructive charge contained therein at apoint of greater efficiency,

fthe projectile.

`The principle on which the inventionl erates 1s that of acompound shell whichis Vdesignedto be droppedor propelled through the air asa unit Yand-to separate into its essential parts at or shortly after it strikes-the object-fired upon. We have. found it vdesirable to initiate theexplosion of. the` projectile by an impact device andto provide the nose portion of the projectile with an explosive or expansive medium, theaction of whichwhen brought into play by .theximpact deviceeffects a separation, vas herein shown, of the two elements .of the projectile and propels one of the elements rearwardly `with respect to theother element. `.'[t is the element thus rearwardly propelledV which lcarries the explosive lcharge which Vis designed to constitute the destructive part of This destructive element of the projectile is provided withxmeans for` causing its explosion at or near the impact surface and preferably at aA distance prede- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented une 28,A '1921. 1. l

termined within reasonable limits away therefrom (above the ground as a unit) In the construction herein illustrated the two elements of the shell are eonnectedbyja I I flexible member arranged in convolutions `which pays out on the separation of the two parts and when taut effects the explosion of the destructive part of the shell by bringing into play a firing mechanism therein contained. y

It should be understood, however, drawings included as a part of thisapplication are merely illustrative and that other means of embodying theY general principle of ,the invention will occur to thoser skilled in the art, and thatV .our invention is by no means restricted to the specifie'constructions illustrated in the drawings. YOur invention contemplates all compound projectiles .the main elements of Ywhich are to be separated after launching, during flight or at or after' thatthe impact, and the destructive element of which is to be exploded in vdefinite relation with lan initial explosion or its equivalent within the projectile itself, it being obvious that iff'desired both, or if more than two,the ,plurality of essential elements of the projectile may be equipped with destructive charges.

In the construction of the projectileherein Yillustrated there are embodied parts the use of which is by no means limited to a,

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182,538, July 24, 1917 in which .claims directed to these parts are contained, such claims yconsequently beingomitted from this application. j j j t In these drawings we have chosen as a means of illustrating our invention a high explosive projectile primarily designed to be firedfrom a gun. Where the projectiles l'are intended to bedropped yfrom aeroplanes or other elevations thek projectile will, of .cour-se, be'provided with directional means` of control vwell known in the art` and herein diagrannnatically illustrated.y

inventionv as embodied in the lprojectile chosenl for illustrative purposes;

. Fig. 2is ya'longitudinal section illustrating 'the' firing mechanism of the destructive eleyment of the projectile of Fig. 1;

YFig; 3 isa longitudinal section ofthe impact firing mechanism of the nose portion of the projectile; i

Fig.V 4 is a plan of. va spider remployed. in

the'noseportion ofthe projectile as an anchoring ymeans yfor the flexible connecting member above referred to and as one of the members to preventk relative rotation of the` innerf and outer parts;`

` Fig.. v5 is a planof a diaphragm connected with the destructive portion of the projectile and serving in part as a Supporting means forjthefiring mechanism thereof and as the other non-rotation member above;

Fig. 6 isa. plan of a portion of the clutch of the firing .mechanism illustrated in Fia 2;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section partly broken away illustrating another form of nose piece and mounting for an impact firing mechanism; f

Fig. 8 Vis a longitudinal sectionof stillV another form of nose piece and Ymounting for the impact firing mechanism illustrated in Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section illustrating another. form of liring mechanism Afor the destructive element. of the projectile; Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section illustrating stilly another type offiring mechanism for the destructive element of the projectile; and Y ig. 11 is a diagrammatic. section illustrating ourl invention embodiedV in an aeroplane" bomb.

Referring irst'to the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 the projectile there shown comprises what may be termed an outer shell Figure 1.r isalongitudinal section of our referred to 15 and an inner shell 16. These shells are separately formed and machined so as lit together snugly and the inner shell is normally prevented from being withdrawnl ory slipping out of the outer shell by shearing 'screws 17 V17,!which` engage circumferential groove on the inner shell.

The inner shell ,is expanded at its rear to form the base of the projectile and 'carries ral rifling band 18. This construction eliminates thenecessity of use of the form of safety cap usually Yemployed on'the base of projectiles to prevent the 4gases from the firing 'gun charge entering the projectile and causing a-premature explosion thereof.) The base of the projectile thus formed is pron vided with a plugged: `central, filling,` aperture 20 through which the destructive, ex-

plosive charge 21 is placed in the inner shell.

This filling aperture is covered by Aa suitably `fastenednmetal sheet` 22 which` performs the function of the cap just referred to.

The nose 25 of the projectile for structural reasons is illustrated as being screwed intok the outershell 15 and isof the flat nose type provided with a1 ballistic mushroom point 25. A cup-shaped cavity therein carries a charge of eX olosive 27 lJreferabl a v l gunpowder. the action of which when fired isdesigned to propel the innershell rearwardly outof the outershell. The 'nose is centrally apertured and Vthreaded and there- 'by carries Va delay action fuse 2 j This fuse (see F 3) comprises an outer casing 30 closed' at the forward end by a flanged plug 31 screwed therein and carrying a firing pin on its inner face to initiate the separating` explosion in a manner later to be described.

The other end of the outer casing is made in the form of a chamber 32 in which isy carried a booster charge of suitable explosive, preferably black powder. The side walls of thischamber are quite thin and may be made `fof brass tubing set into the end of the outer casing, theouter casing Vbeing apertured as at 34 34 whereby when the tubing of the chamber is ruptured by the explosion of the booster charge the explosive gases therefrom escape into the separating charge 27' and iginite it. The outer'endV of this booster charge chamber is closed by a disk 35 which is screwed into the end of the outer casing and flushtherewith. This disk and the end of the casing abut against the hub of the spider 57 later referred to.

The outer casing `is machinedcylindri- Vcally on its interior and is there provided with ay sleeve 37 which'forms one member of a ball clutch. The Vsleeve is somewhat shorter than the machined interior of the outer casing and is made with two annular grooves 38, 39, the latter being considerably deeper than the former. V

The inner member 4l of the ,clutch is car- -yondthe rear against a non-resilientwasher 42, for eX-. fampleone of lead, which lies againstfthe -baseaof the "outercasing' The interior of `ried by'and on the-'inside ofthe sleeve 37 and is falso-'made in thel form of a' hollow cylinder. In its normal'position it extends beofthe Asleeve 37, and abuts this v clutchl member 'is' machined Vand Vcarries a Vhollow piston 43y which iis' beveled on the frontandfin which iscarried a'helical-spring 44, one end ofthe :spring abutting against the :interior forward end of the 'piston vand the other againsttherearend of theclutch v .located balls 46 46, :the positioning ofthe vparts being such `that the: radial boring is in linefwith the annular groove88rof'the Vouter clutch member :within which the balls 46,46 are-resilientlyfpressed byfthe forward beveled edge of the'pistonr43; ``We have foundit convenlent to have this groove of avdepth equalto about 71; of the ballfdiameter andthegroove-39 of adepth equal to about lr of the ball diameter, and to vhave the thickness'of the sidel wall's'of'the inner clutch member 41'falseq'ual to about-f of the ball diameter. f The forward end of the vinner clutchm'ember is closed by a plug 47 screwed therein. The forward side of this plug is provided with a fulminate of'mercury capv48 opposite which Ythe plug; carries .a tube 49 which extends through thev numerousinner clutch members and the rear wall'ofthe outer casing into 'the booster charge chamber.'V The tubeV is filled with av compresse'dpowder train the purpose of whichis to'ignite the booster charge after a slight delay A helicospiral spring 51 is mountedV in the forward end of the inner clutch member and abuts against the rear face' of the plug 31. This spring is but slightly .compressedI in the normal posi- Y tion of the parts and servesto prevent the movable member from-creepinglforward in flight.` v p It'will be observed that while the clutch members of the fuse are vlocked as illustrated,.forward movement thereof isY prevented by the circumferential*'shoulder of the plug 31, thus assuring against accidental contact of the cap'48` with the ring pin.

The forward end of thef'inner shellis closed v-by a diaphragm "55which may 'be termed the firing base of :the *innerl shell. It is' suitably andby preference removably' attached'thereto,zand abutsagainst a spider 57 which is carried in the forward end of the outer shellv and Yis 'seated against thebase flange of the nose." fThe "diaphragm Ais formed with raised portions 58 58'which register with and fit-in depressions 5959 in the spider, 'andjis centrally apertur'ed fand threaded-and there serves as a mountingfor 'the mechanism designed'to cause Ythe'ex- *..plosionV of the inner shell.,V`

This mechanism comprises a carrying tube '64, which is directly mounted in'the 'dia- -phragm and in which is carried a firing cable 66; a plunger orrhammer 67 and itsfcon- Y trolling mechanism,

p a boosterrcharge` 68 and a'fu'lminateof mercury cartridgef69, which 'when struck with the hammer detonates booster charge,

The 'booster charge is composed -ofrua vgranular or crystalline high' explosive,f is contained in'. a chamber Vformed in the end of the-carrying tube and is positionedv preferably at or about the middle ofl the Vhigh explosive chargeQl.v rIhe walls of the'carrying tube where they comprisethe-side walls "of the' booster lcharge chamber are made quite thin" so thaty on the explosion of the' booster charge they will readily break.

'The outwardlend Vof the chamber isformed by a anged plateY 70fs`crewed into the `en'd 'of the tube, "andthe inner end :by: afcorrespending plate 71"'also screwed into the tube. This end of the v"chamber is vcentrally "apertured and 'counter'sunk and therein is mount- 'edfthe vfulmina'te cartridge 69" held in place 'by'a' disk 72 'which is `suitably.`a]g ertured so thatthe firing point of the hammer `67 may vstrike'v and explode' the gfulminate cartridge.

Y The Vfiring mechanism `mounted in the carrying tubey directlyv 'in front of the booster charge chamber; f 'This'mecha'nism comprises an outer" clutch;Y "and bearing 'member 74 which is illustrated inthe form of a hollow cylinder; theV rearfendfof the cylinder ris flanged'and serves as a vmounting for the aforesaid' plate'i-72so that 'the latter is held against the' rear wall ofthe' booster charge 'chamber The forward end ofthe cylinder abuts'yagainst a :shoulder 75 formed'infythe tube 'so Vthat when the plate 7 1 isY screwed home theV cylinder' ofthe firing mechanism is firmly "held in position. y `The cylinder is i' ternally machined'` and serves as -a bearing.` ffor' the piston-like hammer 67. It is provided with 'an annular groove' orrecess 76 whichA is lbeveled at theV rear-,fand its boreA is reduced toward'y the' front so las 'tojafl'ord a shoulder'v'?,` which servesas a stop tov limitthemotion ofthe hammer toward `the` 'front'' of the" projectile, and so 'as tov provide a pocket for thenforward portion of a helical'liring spring'l 79 Y radially asa sa sa (see rig. 6), and is Centrally bored Vas at -84 for theinsertion ofthe spindle 80. The lspindle is made in two parts. The forward l part is bored and threadedand lserves as a: means of attachment` for :the firing cable :6.6. F or :this purpose the ring cable :is'raveled out and its frayed end secured by fillingfthe spindle cavity with molten lead. The rear part of the spindle -screws into the frontpartf and extends into the firing'end of the-hammer. It is provided with an annular groove 8.8 which, whenthe 'spindle' is in place,.`is in line with the radial apertures 83 83. .Balls 89.89 are located in the pockets formed by the radialV recesses in the hammer and the groove in the'spindle, and the `parts fare so proportioned, that inthe absence of thecompressional force of the ,spring,the balls Vrest therein without bindingand just touchthe inner. wall of the cylinder 74. VThe parts are so mounted that the Vvertical diameters of the balls are normally slightly to the rear of the beveled groove 76.

The firing cable, for which purpose We have found aviator cord toV be veryV efficient, is carried in the Vforward part of the carrying tube wherein Vit lis spirally Ycoiled and is prevented from becoming tangled by some suitable matrix 92, lpreferably a granular one such as sand., This matrix'furthermore serves as an abutment toV prevent forward movement of the spindle and'hammer when theprojectile strikes Van object', or when the inner and.A Vo'utershells` br-ygn tonlseparate. The forward end of the cable'sanchored in a {iat-'headed shouldered plug 93 whichy 4fits into the forward end -of-the carrying tubeV Y and serves as a means of keeping thematrix therein. The plugfis made in two pieces and the cable therein anchored inthe same manner as in the case ofthe spindle .80. It is mounted in the spider 57 whichis centrally apertured and countersunk in the front forthis purpose. The plug is made with a filling groove 94, alofngts exterior, which is filled withvwax, and closed on :the outside bythe hub of the spider. Y- ,Y

It is to be here observed that the hub of the spider is preferably of greaterdiameter than the Vaperture inV the diaphra-glnin which the carrying tube'is mounted and that this together with a Aclose t of the parts acts as a shieldto prevent any of thehot gases from the uexplosion ofthe separating charge -27 entering the inner shell 16 and ca'usingra premature explosion of its VVhigh explosive charge or fromentering the carrying -tubef64 and burning the cable or causing other damage therein.

The length of the cable is the prime-.con-

Y trolling factor in determining when the inner or destructive member of the projectile is exploded and willtherefore vary Vwith the requirements of the projectile and its use'.

' ofthe diaphragm` A5.5;and-.the spider 57.

Vlehave.obtained satisfactory results with a cable 12 feet long, Vin a projectile designed for-use against personnel.' y

Considering thefoperation of theprojectile now under discussion, and assuming that itlhas been Iired from aV gun or howitzer .in thesame-manner as a shell ofthe type commonly employed, it will be observedthat `the projectile is given the necessary; rotational motion around lits longitudinal axis because 'ofthe rifling band 18 andthe fact that the inner shell is prevented from turning 4within the outer Ishellfby means oftheV interlocking `The blow. of the firing .charge of ythe ygun causes a rearrangement of the parts ofthe fuse 28 whereby the ballclutoh `is moved from .its ysafety locking position tothe position which permits-the fuse to1.ope'rate on impact. This is brought about by the in-' f ertia 4of the outer clutch member or. sleeve 37. Upon firing, vthe forward portion of `the groove'38 exerts an effort to force the balls 46 46 inwardly. effort is transmitted through the balls -to the forward vbeveled face 'of the piston -43 and forces the piston rearwardly against the compressionof its .spring until .the bal-ls" havse release-d the j sleeve T37. This sleeve .continues 'its rearward motion until the' groove 39 reaches a position opposite the balls when 'theY piston 43 Vis moved forward by its spring and locks the two members' of the clutch together. When the projectile strikes the ground lor other obstacle and its velocity is thereby suddenly decreased the two members 37 and 41 of theY clutchin4 the fuse moveV forward rapidly` overcoming the thrust of 'spring 51, and the firing p-in 'on the inside of theplug 31. punctures the cap 48. This ignites vthe powder train in the tube 49 which burns yfor f a vdefinite time interval, 'and then ignites the booster charge 33. The explosion of the latter lruptures the side walls of the booster charge chamber 32 and ignites Athe separating charge 27,- which causes the separation of the inner and outer shells, shearing the pins 17 17 in so doing. Y

As the inner and outer shells of the pro# jectile thus separate the cable7anchoring plug 93, which it will be remembered is fas'- tened to the outershell of the projectile,

is withdrawn from the carrying vtube 64, which it will Ibe remembered is fastened to the inner shell of the projectile, and the flexiblemember` 66 pays out. This on becomingtaut pulls the-hammer 67 forward-ly orto theleft (as shown) inthe cylinder 74 Vuntil the balls ,89T 89 Vreach afpositionoppo site therecess 76 when the beveled face on therear of the groove 88 .in the spindle forces the balls outwardly and releases the spindle. The spindle is then pulled out by the cable, and the balls, under the effort exerted by the firing springs' are forced inwardly by the beveled face of the' recess until the hammer is released'.y Itwill be observed' separating charge until :the velocity ofthe a whole has been considerably projectile as reduced or entirely overcome. Under these conditions a small separating charge will sufice to give an actual rearward motion tothe'inner shell, as the kinetic energy of the latter has been greatly reduced To accom.

plish .this result use is made ofthe short burning-time train in the fuse 28, and theflat nose 25. which greatly decreases .penetra-V tion. The ballistic cap 26 is employed simply to .give better ranging results.

However, ythe invention is by no means limited vto ay projectile fof a liat nose type nor'to the employment of a delay action fuse and'by way of illustration' of different em bodiments of our` invention additional fig-V ures are presented and will now be discussed.,

In Fig. 7 is illustrated a pointed nose projectile 'in which an instantaneousimpactfuse is embodied andfin'which the base 'of the shell is differently formed from that illustrated in Fig. 1; lIn Fig. 7 thev general construction of theprojectile'and the firing` pin 98 explodes the blank j cartridge 148.5:A

mechanismV for the destructive charge is the same as in Fig; 1, hence a repetition ofthe showing of certain of these parts is omitted and the .figureisbroken away across the middle." The outer shell 15` at theV rear carries a rifling band 18, andis provided with the ordinaryxbase cap 122. The inner shell 16 is setentirely within the outer shell and instead of being formed atthefrear 'in the manner'illustratedin Fig. 1 is threadedin the full size of its boreand is closedby a double flanged base screwedthereinand abutting against the end ofthe innerl shell andv against a countersunk shoulderxin the end of the outer shell. The face ofthis base iszflush-I with the 'end of the outer shell and the joint is covered by base cap 122 asis wellunderstood. f

The forward end of the outer shell is precisely'the same as that of Fig. l except for the substitution of a pointed nose piece 125 and the' beveling of the outer shell Vr'neces-A sary to carry the nose piece itself. This nose piece is provided -wi'th 'a`suitably plugged filling hole 96 in its point.

The yimpact fuse here back the outer curvature of maratea forms the :same general construction of lball clutch?"- asthat illustrated in F ig.v 1. 'ItsoutercaS- ing is closed across the fro-nt 'an'd'cen-L trally aperture'd to .permit the exploding' of` a blank cartridge `1418 which', vis mounted thereon vby means vof a .'countersunk plate 133 screwed into the end oft the outercasing.` The helico spiral spring 51- is suitably mounted `on the forward.A interior of the outer? casing; and the rear end thereof is" screwed onto aflanged base 97Awhi`ch'in turn is screwed .on to the hub of the spider *1157:

conveniently projecting centrally fori this purpose. fThe forward end :of 'the' plunger l element 4:1 of the fuse isfprovidedwith'a firing vpoint 93. there `is no short burning y time train nor? booster charge in this fuse.- The forward anchorage of the ring'cablef 66 is somewhat l'different fromfthat illusk trated in Fig. V1. VTheV plug 93 has been'ref" placed by a wax plug 193 and the hub of the spider 157v serves as adirect anchorage-forA the/end of the cable, being suitably aper-fiv` tured for this'purpose'. 'The methodofafni choringy the lcable by fraying Vthe' ends and pouring in Ymolten lead fis the" same as 'that` employed with the Vconstruction of-Fig. 1*

s It will be observed 'tl'l'atf` The 'operationof the proj ectile-now under''f I discussion differs only slightlyfrom that of 9.5m. Fig. 1 and'should be readily understood A withoutrepetition. The impact fuse is unlocked and set for operation by the-firing' of the projectile )from the gun yorfhow-itz'er;

` and upon the velocity of the 'projectile be- Ving checked on striking' the groundv or other*l obstacle the inner and outer clutch mem- Y bers move forward as a whole and the firing ion' This in turn ignites the 'separating charge-f105 27 and effects the separation-ofthe outer and inner shell, rupturing the basecap-122;@

Y and shearing off-'pins 17 17 the firing cable' 66 is drawn taut and the highf'explosive 21- 'l Vmeans ofimounting the 'impact fuseillus`3 trated in 'F1g."7'.1 Thev figure?,` comprises"v d merely the'lforward part of thep'ointedf nose-2 1115.Y

of Fig. 7 modified .to providefa'mountingjl for the fuse; on the -nose piece instead ofon`l the spider. lThe point-of the nose isv bored* and'f threaded and the fuse lscrewed therein-.' v To this end the outer casing of the fuse 23() is enlarged ini the front and is there pro-if videdwith'a booster chargel chamberv 232.' formed 'in advance ofa primer -cap 248v which is mounted 'inthe' samemanner as the l :blank cartridge 148 off'Fig.-7. The booster charge chamber isy closed in front 'by a 4i' flanged pointed plug 99 which screwsthereinand the f outward contour of which, v to-V` the fuse, conforms with the generalv curva- -.f gether with that of lthe flanged-portionofv i the 'booster' charge chamber.

.The operationof the construction under consideration differs from ythat discussed in connection with Fig. 7 in that the explosion of the primer cap ignites the booster charge 33 which in turn ignites the separating charge 27.A through the radial aper tures 2 34234 and longitudinal grooves 234-234; The radial apertures are ,plugged merelyfor convenience of rassembly andtheV wax employed for this purpose has been found not to interfere with the ignition-ot the'booster charge.

In Fig. 11 is indicated diagrammatically an aeroplane lbomb embodying our Vinvention. It will be observed thatthe projectile therefillustrated is the one shown in Figs. 7 and V8 lexcept that the base 120 hasbeen replaced by a base-220provided with guiding vanes, and the fuse replaced by a vifuse 128, armed for operationV in -fli'ght by the action of-a.propellerfwheel 100. As these elements are ywell *known in the art they are merely shown `conventionally and no specific description -is thought necessary. -Thegeneraloperation of the bomb on impact is the same as heretofore-described and a. repetition thereof is consequently omitted.

In Figs. i9 and 10 are illustrated `two forms of firing mechanism differing in some Yrespects yfrom that illustrated in Fig. 2. In Fig.' 9 the outer clutch and'bearing member 174'is similarto that of Fig.'2 and is closed on its rearend by the centrally apertured plate 72. It is adapted'to `be mounted in 'the carrying tube -64 inthe same manner as the clutch -member of ig. 2. It differs from the outer clutch member of that ligure in the'position of the beveled recess or gro`ove'76 in its relationto the -balls 8,9 89; @and the depth -of its ,boreV within which 1a hammerf? reciprocatesvis'less than vin-the caseof fF ig. 2 or'here there is no necessityV of the forward motion of the hammer to.releasethe clutch. Thehammer 67 is Asimilar in'construction to th-atofY F ig. ZA2 but the.

spindle 180 and' the locking methodfare slightly diferent. The :spindle here illustrated 'is cylindrical in -form .and is without the'groove 88. It normally ymaintains theballs 89 89 in locking engagement with the groove 66, and is prevented from accidental withdrawal by the shearing pins101 101, which extend through the forward expanded portion of the spindle and the outer clutch member. The firing springi 7 9 is here intended to be compressed to the desired extent for firing. The firing cable is, of course,intended vto be lmounted in the spindle in the ysame manner asin the case of Figa A2 and its showing is not repeated.

j of its-normal compression being comparatively slight.

Vment-.ofthe hammer explodes the f'ulminate vcartrl'dge69 as hertoforefdescribed.- f

The operation foit' this form is effected by a pull of the iiring cable whichhon withdrawing the spindle shears the pins 101 101, and theV balls, now free tolmove in-- wardly owing to withdrawal of the-spiny` dle,Y are so orcedfbythe combined action: of the iringspring andthe rear beveled edge of 'therecessor-groove 76, whereupon the hammeris released'an'd plunges tothe rear to explodeithe -fulminate cartridge 69 in the jsamemanner as the case ofthecon struction of y'F ig. 2.

V4In F ig. 10 the outer clutch member 274 is-alsosimilarto' that of-F ig. 2and is closed at the. rear with the centrally apertured plate 72." fIt is intended to be mounted? in the-same -manner as lillustrated 1in Fig.- 2.- Itsv rearwardly beveled recess; or groove 176 has thesame position in'respect to the balls 89 *89' vas `the groove -76 of Fig. 19 EVbut it 'extends -forwardly va Vconvenient distance to permit ofV aflimited forwardftravelofthe hammer and balls.y The bore V-within which the -hammer reciprocates falso =extends for- Y wardly an` equal distance. These differences are for theV purpose of permitting a fforwardmovement ofthe 'hammers preciselyf as inthe case of Fig. 2 to increase the com pression ofltheliring spring/and tofpermit YThe spindle 180 is :like the spindle illustrated in Fig. 9lbut=the shearing pins'l01 101 Tare vhere placed through therearof the spindle and-thehead ofthe.

hammer, the spindle, ffor'convenie'nce in assembhng, being `made '1n two :parts -f'lhe' spindle Yoperatesnormally to maintain *the balls in locking engagementwvith the grooves 176. `Itis intendedto'be equipped with a-'iring cable in the same manner fasin the construction `ot -F ig. J2 and 1a rrepetitiorroil 'v the showing is accordingly '.omitted. TVVhen the firing cablelisfdrawn-taut the spindle.` draws fthe hammer and balls 1forwardly until the forward part ofthe'hamm'erfseats 'against the annular shoulder f77 when the shearing wires fare shorn and the spindle gwithdrawn. The shearing of th'e'wires=fand the withdrawing ofthe Ispindle permits the hammer'to'plunge'to the rear andthe balls '115i to vmove inwardly, which, they are "coinpelled to do `on striking therear'fbeveled edge ofthe recess 176. Therearwardlmove- The foregoing detailed description has beerr-givenI for 'clearness of under'st'anding and 'no `undue', limitation should ibe deduced therefrom but-the appended claims l'should belconstrued as broadly fas epe'rmissible in '125 view ofthe prior art. Y, Y

What we claimasn'ew and fdesire `to riseeure by tLetters Patent of the "United States 1S I-f l Y i =1'.`In1a projectile, the combination v'offan '1350 y mechanism, substantially as described.

the combination of an outer casing, an inner casing, a separating charge in the outer casing in front of the inner casing, a destructive charge contained in the inner casing, an impact fuse for exploding the separating charge, a hammer in the inner casing, actuating means therefor, parts whereby the action of the hammer is restrained against the effort of the actuating means, means for overcoming the actionv of the last named parts whereby the hammer is released for firing, a flexible member normally carried by the inner casing and connecting the outer casing and the inner casing for effecting the operation` of the last named means, and an initiating explosive charge to be exploded by the hammer for detonating the destructive charge, substantially as described.

3. A firing mechanism for the destructive member of a compound projectile, comprising the combination of a hammer, actuating means thereof, parts whereby the action of the hammer is restrained against the eort of the actuating means, means for overcoming the action of the last named parts whereby the hammer is released for firing, and a flexible member normally carried in the destructive member of the projectile for effecting the operation of the last named means, substantially as described.

4. In a firing mechanism for the destructive member of a compound projectile, means for initiating the operation of said mechanism, comprising the combination of a flexible member, said member being arranged in convolutions in the destructive member of the projectile, and means whereby the flexible member is prevented from snarling when drawn taut on initiating the said operation, substantially'as described.

5. In a firing mechanism for the destructive member of a compound projectile, means forl initiating the operation of said mechanism, comprising the combination of 2. In a projectile,

- a cable, a protective casing therefor, the

cable being arranged in convolutions in the protective casing, and a granular matrix contained in the casing whereby the cable is prevented from snarling on being withdrawn therefrom, substantially as described.

6. A firing mechanism for the destructive member of a compound projectile, comv prising the combination of a hammer, actu-y ating means therefor, parts whereby the action of the hammer is restrained against the eii'ort of the actuating means, means for overcoming the action of the last named parts whereby the hammer is released for firing, a flexible member for eifecting the operation of the last named means, and a protective casing for the flexible member, whereby the flexible member is normally carried in the destructive member of the projectile, substantially as described.

7 A firing mechanism for the'destructive l member of a compound projectile, comprising the combination of a hammer, actuating means therefor, parts whereby the actionof the hammer is restrained against the 'eort of the 'actuating means, means for overcoming the action of the last named parts whereby the hammer is released for firing, a flexible member for eil'ecting the operation of the last named means, a protective casing for the flexible member, and means whereby- .the flexible member is prevented from snarling on being withdrawn from the casino', substantially as described.

8. A firing mechanism for the destructive member of a compound projectile, comprising the combination of a hammer, actuating means therefor, parts whereby the action of the hammer is restrained against the effort of the actuating means, means for overcoming the action of the last named parts whereby the hammer is released for ring, a cable for effectin the operation of the last named means, a tu ular protective casing in which the cable is helically coiled, and a granular matrix contained in the casing whereby the l cable is prevented from snarling on being withdrawn therefrom, substantially as described.

9. In a projectile, the combination of an outer casing, an inner casing, a separating charge in the outer casing in front of the inner casing, a destructive charge contained in the inner casing, an impact fuse for exploding the separatingcharge, a hammer in the inner casing, a spring for actuating the hammer, a ball clutch whereby the action of the hammer is restrained against the effort of the spring, a flexible member connecting'the outer casing and the inner casingfor operating the clutch whereby the hammer is released for firing, andan initiating explosiver charge to be exploded by the hammer for detonating thedestructive charge, substantially as described. i Signed at Washington, I). C., this 23rd day of Jul 1917.

FR NK DESMOND SPRAGUE. PHILIP VVHALLEY ALLISON- Witnesses:

HAROLD CocxnRLiM, STAGY H. BRIANT .M 

